Power-loom



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

THOMAS KING, OF W'EST FARMS, NEW YORK.

POWER-LOOM.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 32,068, dated April 16, 1861.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS fest Farms, in the county of Westchester andState of-New York, have inventedycertain new and useful Improvements inPower-Looms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a' full,clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-Figure l, is a transverse vertical section of a narrow-ware loom takenin rear of the breast beam `and take-up mechanism. Fig. 2, is a verticalsection of the same parallel with the warp. Fig. 3, is a plan of thesame. Fig. t, is a back view of the take-up mechanism.`

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalgures.

The first part of my invention consists in an improved shuttle-motionwhich is applicable with especial advantage to looms for weaving tapeand other narrow fabrics known as narrow-ware looms. The shuttle driverin that class of looms is commonly operated by tappets, and the shuttlesare consequently thrown with greater or less force according to thespeed of the loom so that when the loom is working very slowly theshuttles have not always force enough imparted to them to carry themthrough the warp; and the object of this part of my invention is toobviate this difficulty and t0 drive the shuttles wit-h the same forcewhether the loom is working at a high or low speed.

The second part of my invention consists in an improved self regulatinglet-off. This feature like the first is applicable with especialadvantage to narrowware looms; but both features are applicable to loomsfor weaving' wide goods.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, is the framing of the loom.

B, is the main shaft carrying the crank C, for driving' the lay T, andthe gear D, for driving' the camshaft S, the said crank being connectedwith the lay by a rod C', and the said gear gearing with a gear D', onthe cam-shaft. This loom is for weaving a four leaf tweel, and hence thecamshaft gear D',

KING, of 1 is so proportioned to D, as to give the camshaft but onerevolution for every four rev0- lutions of the main shaft.

E, E2, E3, Et, are the four harness cams.

F', F2, F3, F t, are the four leaves of headles suspended from rollersG', G', G2, G2, G3, G3, G4, Gt, on two rock shafts H, Hf, which work inbearings in the upper part of the framing, and kept strained by pulleysI, It', and springs J, Jk, at the bottom.

K', K2, K3, Kt, are the treadlesV on which the cams act, and L', L2, L3,L4, are a second series of treadles connected with the treadles K', K2,K3, K4, and with the harness.

The above `described parts do not differ essentially from thecorresponding parts of other power looms for weaving narrow-ware withfour leaves of harness.

a, is the-race way.

M, M, M, are the reeds, three in number, the loom being for weavingthree webs.

N, is one of the shuttles fitted to the race' way in the usual manner.The other two are omitted to avoid confusion of parts.

O, is the shuttle driver consisting of a slotted bar or plate attachedto the lower race-board of the lay by bolts Z), b, passing through itsslots c, c, or by any other means which permit it to movelongitudinally.

d', d' Z2 cl2, are the usual pins carried by the driver' to drive theshuttles. The shuttle N, is driven by the pins d', cl2.

P, is a rocker iitted to rock on a fixed pin e, which4 is secured 'toand stands out in a forward direction from the lower race-board of thelay. This rocker is connected with the driver O, by two cords e', c2,which are wound upon the former in opposite directions. The said rockerhas also passingover and secured to it a strap j, the ends of which areconnected by strong and long spiral springs g, y', with the two treadlesQ, Q', which are depressed alternately bymeans of two cams R, R', on thecam shaft S.

U, is a locking bar for locking the shuttle driver at the termination ofits stroke in .either direction till it is required to drive theshuttles in the opposite direction. This bar extends all across the laynear one side of which one of its ends is secured by bolts h, and it ismade elastic in such a manner that its opposite end tends to restagainst a stop near the opposite side of the lay. The said bar has aprojection j, on its rear side for the purpose of acting alternatelyagainst opposite sides of a downward projection j', on the driver forthe purpose of locking the driver till the proper time for the flight ofthe shuttles, and then permitting the shuttles to be driven by the forceof the springs g, g, acting upon the rocker P, and not by the directagency of the cams and treadles which are only used to strain thesprings while the driver is locked.

m, is a fixed unlocking piece attached tol the side of the loom next thefree end of the locking bar for the purpose of causing that bar tounlock the driver at the proper time to throw the shuttles in eitherdirection.

The operation of the shuttle-motion is as follows: The spring g, actsupon the strap f, to turn the rocker P, in the direction of the arrow 7shown upon it in Fig. l, and so cause the said rocker by winding up thecord e2, to move the shuttle driver O, to the left. The spring g', actsupon the strap to turn the rocker in the opposite direction to make itwind up the cord e', and so move the shuttle driver to the right.

Figs. 1, and 3, represent the driver as having been last moved to theright, and as being locked by the projection j, of the locking bar U,actinO' against the left side of the projection j', of theshuttle-driver. It remains locked in this position from near thecommencement of the forward stroke of the i lay and till near thetermination of its back stroke, when the shuttle has to be thrown; andwhile it remains so locked the cam R', is leaving the treadle Q', andletting slack the spring g', and the cam R, is depressing the treadle Q,land straining the spring g, but just as the lay is completing itsbackward stroke the locking bar U, comes in contact with the stationaryunlocking piece m, at the right` side of the loom and as the backwardmovement is completed the locking bar is arrested and the projection j',on the driver carried back clearl of the projection j, on the lockingbar leaving the driver under the influence of the strained spring g,which instantly acts upon the rocker to move it in the direction of thearrow 7, and carry the shuttle-driver rapidly to the left.

The drawing represents the lay as moving back and about to bring thelocking-bar into contact with the unlocking piece m, as is best shown inFig. 3. As the lay commences to move forward again, it soon carries thelocking bar U, clear of the unlocking piece m, and allows it to dropback with its projection j, on the left side of the projection j', ofthe driver and so to lock the driver while the lay again moves forwardand back, and while the spring g', is strained by the action of the camR', on the treadle Q', for the purpose of giving motion to the rocker P,in the opposite direction to the arrow 7, to move the shuttle-driver O,to the right, as soon as the latter is liberated by the arrest ofthewlocking bar U, by the unlocking piece m, as before described. Inthis operation it will be understood that as the shuttle driver isoperated upon by the springs g, g', and not by the cams and treadles(which only strain the said springs) the force with which the shuttle isthrown is the same whether the loom be working at a high or low speed.

V, is the yarn beam having its shaft tted to fixed bearings in twostandards A', A, at the upper part of the rear of the loom. V' is afriction band applied to one of the heads of the said beam. One end ofthis band is secured to the fixed rail A2, and the other end hassuspended from it a weight V2 by which the friction is produced.

W is a rock-shaft arranged parallel with and above the yarn beam inbearings in the Lipper parts of the standards A', A'. This rock-shafthas rigidly secured to it a lever X, to the front arm of which issecured a roller or shaft X', arranged parallel with the yarn beam, andfrom whose rear arm is suspended a weight X2. The warp yarn passes fromthe beam V, over the roll or shaft X', and under the whip roll Y, whichis arranged in stationary bearings. The weight V2, is suflicient to makethe band V', produce 'a degree of friction that will hold the beam whenfull of yarn, against the greatest amount of tension to which the warpis desired to be subjected in the weaving process so that the frictionband V', may be considered in a measure as a positive stop to the yarnbeam. rPhe weight X2, acting through the lever, X, upon the roll orshaft X', produces a tension on the yarn between the yarn beam and thetake-up, and the weight is made just suflicient to produce the tensiondesired in weaving. The rear arm of the lever X, besides having theweight X2, suspended from it is connected by a cord or Chain fm, withthe weight V2, for the purpose, when the tension on the yarn increasesbeyond the degree desired, of making such increased tension, by itsaction on the roll or shaft .X', exert a tendency to lift a portion ofthe weight V2, and so to reduce the friction of the band V', and allowthe yarn-beam to give out more yarn.

In the action of the take-up, the yarn is not taken directly from the'yarn beam, .while the tension does not exceed the degree desired, butis taken from the quantity which is, as it were, held in reserve betweenthe whip roll and the yarn beam by the roll or shaft X', the cord n,being slack and the yarn beam being held stationary by the friction bandV', but when the tension increases in the slightest degree beyond whatis desired, the depression of the roll X', causes the rear arm of thelever X, to rise and causes the cord a, to exert an upward pull on theweight V2, and thus to so far relieve the friction band V', of theeffect of such weight as to reduce the friction on the beam to such anextent that the weight X2, by its action through the lever on the rollX', cause more yarn to be let od. The letting off of the yarn ceases assoon as the weight X2, draws down the rear end of the lever X, farenough to let the band a, slack again and leave the friction band underthe uncontrolled influence of the weight V2. The quantity of yarn letoff at once is imn material, it may be enough for only one pick or forany number, for the proper tension is preserved by the weight X2, whichis made to govern the let-off.

77, is the take-up roll arranged between a lower roll g, and an upperroll 7', having their journal boxes fitted to upright slots in twoplates Z, Z, secured to the front of the framing A, below the breastbeam s.

t, is a tension roll hungkin a fold of the cloth or woven fabric betweenthe breast beam and the upper or pressure roll r, behind the rolls p, r.The fabric passes from the breast beam s, under the tension roll, overand around the front of pressure roll 1, between the latter and the takeup roll, around the front of the latter and between the latter and thebottom roll g. The tension roll t, is loaded by. a weight u, suspendedfrom its journals by a stirrup fa,

-and rod u2, said weight serving at the same time to produce the desiredtension on the warp and the requisite pressure on the pressure roll 7,to cause the necessary friction between the fabric and the take up rollp.

The take up roll has secured to one end of its shaft p', a ratchet wheelp2, which is acted upon for the purpose of imparting to the said rollthe necessary motion to take up the fabric, by means of a wiper Q2, on ahorizontal shaft o, which is arranged in bearings near the front of theloom, and which receives a slow rotary motion from the cam` shalft S,through a band w, and pulleys S, anc er.

x, is a retaining pawl operating on the ratchet wheel p2, to retain thetake-up, said pawl working` on a pin in an arm Z', that is rigidlysecured to one of the plates Z, Z. This pawl hangs over the projectingjournal t, of the tension roll t.

y, is a spring for pressing downthe pawl toward the ratchet.

lTo insure the proper operation of the take up, the shaft e, should bedriven at such velocity that it if the movement given to the ratchetwheel p2, by the wiper fv, in every revolution of the said shaft wereretained by the pawl a', the movement of the take-up roll would beslightly in excess of what is required. The operation is regulated bythe action of the weight u, which produces a uniform tension of thecloth and warp independent of the action of the take-up roll. This rollonly acts once for several picks, but the weight ya, every time the laybeats up, draws over the breast beam a quantity of fabric equal to onepick of filling, and what is so drawn over is taken up from time to timeby the action of the take up roll produced by the wiper fv, and ratchetwheel p2.

An unnecessary accumulation of the fabric between the breast beamand thetake-up roll is prevented by the slight excessive velocity given `to theshaft fu, as above described, but a suflicient portion to keep thetension roll t, and weight` a, suspended that the proper tension of thewarp may be vpreserved is always there retained by the action of thejournal t', of the latter roll on the pawl zu, in the following manner.Every time the take-up roll operates, it draws up the roll t, and solong as a certain quantity of fabric remains below theA top roll, thejournal L, does not aect the action of the pawl which drops into a newtooth of the ratchet wheel and retains the take up, but when the tensionroll has been drawn up to a certain point the said journal z, comesclose under the pawl, and the next time the ratchet wheel is operatedupon and the take up roll turned to take up more fabric, the journal t',rising with the roller t, follows up the pawl as the latter is lifted bythe ratchet wheel and holds it up so that it cannot drop back till afterthe wiper o, has passed out of contact with the ratchet wheel andallowed the latter to turn back and let the weight u, and roller t, drawback the cloth just taken up when the pawl descending with the roller t,falls back into the ratchet notchfrom which it was last raised. Thisprevention of the retention of the take up occurs as often as isnecessary to compensate for the slight excessive velocity of the shaft'0.

The take up may be increased within certain limits to make a less numberof picks to the inch, by increasing the weight u, and may be diminishedto make a greater number of picks by diminishing the said weight,without altering the velocity of the shaft o, provided the velocity ofthat shaft is always at least equal to what is required for the take up.

An especial advantage of this take up i and let off in its applicationto narrow-ware looms consists in provision being afforded by the weightsX2, and-u, for drawing back any web in the loom, in case of anydefective weaving. This provision is allowed in the old fashioned tapelooms which have no selfeacting take up or let ofi", but has not beendone in the more modern ones with self acting take up and let off.

I do not claim broadly the employing of springs to throw the shuttles ofpower looms,

neither do I claim Controlling the let-Off m0- tion by the agency of amovable roll over which the yarn passes after leavin` the yarn beam; but

What I claim as my invention and desire t0 secure by Letters Patent; is,

l. Combining the shuttle driver O, With the treaclles Q, Q, by means ofsprings g, g, a strap f, a rocker P, and cords e', @2, 0r theirequivalents, the Whole applied in con* eetion with each other, and inCombination With a locking bar U, and unlocking piece fnv, to operatesubstantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. The lever X, with its roll or shaft X', and Weight X2, appliedsubstantially as clescribed in connection with the Weight V2, on thefriet-ion band V, of the yarn beam and operating as herein set forth.

THOMAS KING.

Witnesses:

C. W. COWTAU, M. M. LIVINGSTON.

